William Goldman

William “Bill” E. Goldman was surrounded by family in Payson when he went to be with the Lord on November 26, 2023. Bill was born March 11, 1942, to Herman and Lela (Hanna) Goldman in Phoenix, AZ.

He married Tiffany A. Livingston in 1965, and they had three children Garrett, Clay, and Lura. Bill graduated from Tempe High School in 1960 and attended college at the University of Houston and later Arizona State University where he graduated with a degree in Civil Engineering in 1966. He served in the Army National Guard of Arizona from 1966-1972. Bill worked construction with his father and started an automotive machine shop before he and Tiffany founded Goldman Gear & Machine Works in Tempe in 1969. At Goldman Gear, they made large gears and parts for machinery across the U.S. and internationally as well. He later sold his machine business and started an aircraft repair business, Jacobs Service Inc., where they worked on antique Jacobs aircraft engines. In 1984 Bill and Tiffany moved their aircraft engine business to Payson, AZ where they worked until Bill retired in 1996.

Bill had many interests and hobbies throughout his life. He held a private pilot’s license and flew many different types of antique aircraft, one of which was a 1937 Spartan Executive which he was very fond of. He also loved racing cars and building the engines for them. He raced sprint cars #52 and #24 in the 1960’s at Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix. Later in life, Bill and good friend, Don Shores, built a vintage modified roadster from scratch to race on the salt flats of Bonneville, Utah. They set many records over 200 mph during the years they raced there. Bill was very proud of his car and continued to work on it until he was no longer physically able to do so.

From the time he was a young boy he enjoyed spending time in the outdoors and hunting with his family and good friends. The pinnacle of his years hunting was getting to harvest a desert bighorn sheep at the age of 76 when he was able to finally draw a tag.

Bill will be greatly missed by his wife Tiffany, children Garrett (Katy) Goldman, Clay (Jamie) Goldman, and Lura (Tim) Ryden and seven grandchildren, Madeline, Gage, Megan, Hannah, Cole, Landree, and John. Bill is also survived by his sister Marjorie (Bob) Fillman.

A memorial service honoring Bill will be held at Mountain Bible Church, 302 E. Rancho Rd. in Payson, Arizona on Saturday, December 16, 2023, at 11:00 AM.

 In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Bill’s name to the Aspire Arizona Foundation at 431 S Beeline Hwy, Suite 1, Payson, AZ 85541.